NCAA Div. I Men: No. 3 Stanford Dunks No. 6 Cal.

By Bill Bell

BERKELEY, CA., Feb. 17. DESPITE the heroics of Cal Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin, who set Spieker Aquatics Complex records in both the 50-100
frees (19.69-43.30), the third-ranked Stanford men's swimming and diving team ended the dual season with a 180-103 win over No. 6 California in here Saturday afternoon.

Stanford improves to 8-0 overall, 4-0 in the Pac-10, while the Golden Bears fall to, 5-1, 3-1 in loop competition.

Not even Cal great Matt Biondi, American-NCAA record holder in the 100-200 frees (41.80-1:33.03 from the 1987 NCAAs at Texas) even got close to the unshaved times Ervin went today.

However, the Cal pool (nee Spieker Aquatics Complex) has been extensively renovated and improved since the days of Biondi, thanks to the generous support of Golden Bear benefactor Tod Spieker — a world-class Masters swimmer and world record holder too.

California did not get its first win until the seventh event when Ervin blasted that 19.69 50. Cardinal Randall Bal finished second, turning in the fastest
time by a Stanford swimmer this year with a 20.12. Bal is defending Pac-10 champ in the 100 backstroke.
The only other win the Bears could manage came in the 200 free relay, where the home team, anchored by Ervin, won in 1:19.77.

Stanford Skip Kenney's Cardinal set the tone early, sweeping the 100 back with Bal and Peter Marshall both clocking 47.59, while teammate Markus Rogan —
an Austrian Olympian — rounded out the trio with his 47.92. Marshall's and Rogan's times are their seasonal prs and all are automatic qualifying times for NCAAs.

Stanford also looked strong in the 100 breast, taking first and third with Anthony Robinson (54.89) and Michael Bruce (55.52). Both swims are NCAA provisional qualifying times.

The Cardinal kept up its torrid pace distancing themselves from the Golden Bears with a 1-2-3 finish in the 100 fly. Dan Westcott (47.81), freshman Bobby O'Bryan (pr 47.93) and Adam Messner (48.00) all turning in season-best times while provisionally qualifying for NCAAs.

In the 200 IM Stanford recorded another sweep, as Rob Canales (1:48.21) and Steven Brown (1:48.56) set provisional NCAA times. The Cardinal also went 1-2 in the 200 fly with Dan Westcott (1:45.33) and Adam Messner (1:46.20) respectively. Messner is defending Pac-10 champ. Westcott's time is an NCAA auto cut.

Cardinal swimmers also took top honors in the 200 back (Rogan winning 1:45.18), the 500 free (Sorlien in 4:27.81) and the 200 breast (Bruce in 1:58.47).

Stanford diver Gavin Olmstead placed first in both the one-meter (300.30) and three-meter boards (351.375), and freshman Brian Ferris took third in the three-meter (297.075) and fourth in the one-meter (274.275).

Stanford won 10 of the 13 swimming events during the competition and both diving contests.

Next up for both schools is the Pac-10 Championship March 1-3 at Long Beach's Belmont Plaza, site of the 1968 and 1976 U.S. Olympic trials meets. Stanford is defending champ and has won the title every year since 1982. In fact, every time Stanford has won the Pac-10s at Belmont it has gone on to win NCAAs too.

However, with just a few exceptions, the Pac-10s have been held at Belmont EVERY year since the late '70s!